Speculation: LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread part VII

[Docgonzo]

If you ever want to take your head out of the sand and have a real conversation, answer to this. somehow, the 2016 Kings ranked 8th. Ever since then they've been bottom tier, and 25th in the NHL overall during that time period. Less than 20% is almost always bottom 8, lottery territory.

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It hasn't worked with damn near the same personnel for the last 10+ years...let's just run it a few more times and I'm sure we'll get it, though.

It's absolutely SHIT coaching to be doing this yet again when you have weapons like Kaliyev, Byfield, ARvidsson, even ringers like Frk riding the bench. It's okay to give TM praise, but you can also be realistic.

All you told me was Sutter was a shit coach too since his PP was below 20 which makes bottom 8 in the league but he always ran the same players out nonstop.

 

[King'sPawn]

I don't believe criticizing Kopitar's unwillingness to impose his will on Kings' opponents is maligning his chararcter.

No doubt he is an A+ student in the Kings' classroom, which is made up of average students over the 5-6 seasons. He had to potential to be the valedictorian of the entire school.

Except it wasn't mere unwillingness to impose his will. And I'm pretty sure you know that.

Again, the rhetoric and criticisms have been scaled back, but there have been many maligning comments over the past decade-plus. And I'd rather not get into specific examples. Mostly because I don't want to restart an argument.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

You're so content with the team not getting better. And you get offended when someone with a passion for this team wants the team to be better. You're a contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Every argument you make is "they're in the playoffs nanananana I can't hear you!"

I'm not 'content' with anything -- I'm just not on suicide watch every time the Kings lose a single game. If the best teams in the league were on pace for going 82-0, I could understand the outcry.

This has been a f***ing great season -- a few stinkers, yah -- but it amazes me how it seems to pain a lot of you to give these players (and coaching staff) a little f***ing credit for the position they are in.

 

[Sol]

I don't care enough about it to bitch like a baby over it. Obviously, it's not that much of an impact on a team that was predicted to NOT make the playoffs. Now, if we lose the next 10 while going 0 for 50 on the PP -- and miss out on the post season, I'll kindly join the black parade.

Do you realize how ridiculous that statement is ? You say you don’t care enough but you still comment. You are a contrarian as they say. You make no effort to ever substantiate your points. I find it mind blowing that you are this delusional or just a troll that you have zero problem with the coaching decisions. You seemingly don’t care about the powerplay and PK being bad because standings. Are you content with being this bad at special teams ? And do you think the kings would have more points if the special teams were better?

You’re legit a troll. You come to talk shit and make no points. I don’t know why you’re not banned since you never provide any substance.

 

[Sol]

I'm not 'content' with anything -- I'm just not on suicide watch every time the Kings lose a single game. If the best teams in the league were on pace for going 82-0, I could understand the outcry.

This has been a f***ing great season -- a few stinkers, yah -- but it amazes me how it seems to pain a lot of you to give these players (and coaching staff) a little f***ing credit for the position they are in.

are you legit this unable to see the context for the complaints? No one is saying they should be 82-0. They’re saying why are we overplaying vets so much, why are young players getting shafted so heavily , why does the special teams suck this bad. And why doesn’t anything change?

Try harder. Either you’re a troll or you just don’t understand the game either willingly or unwillingly

 

[King'sPawn]

All you told me was Sutter was a shit coach too since his PP was below 20 which makes bottom 8 in the league but he always ran the same players out nonstop.

You overlooked a critical point though - Sutter did not have the same variety of offensive weapons that McLellan had.

Who would you have put out over Sutter's powerplay units?

 

[head eyes]

I'm not 'content' with anything -- I'm just not on suicide watch every time the Kings lose a single game. If the best teams in the league were on pace for going 82-0, I could understand the outcry.

This has been a f***ing great season -- a few stinkers, yah -- but it amazes me how it seems to pain a lot of you to give these players (and coaching staff) a little f***ing credit for the position they are in.

You are most definintely content with the powerplay being as dogshit it is. A 28th ranked powerplay, that has made no changes to tactics, the same stupid personnel choices over and over again won't help your chances of winning playoff games. I don't care that they "weren't even supposed to make the playoffs". It's irrelevant. And after the past 7 years of garbage hockey, they owe me more for making me watch all of that.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Reading the replies on twitter is like being on this board - fire coaches, definition of insanity, etc etc etc..

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

All you told me was Sutter was a shit coach too since his PP was below 20 which makes bottom 8 in the league but he always ran the same players out nonstop.

Offense and the PP were and still are a criticism of Sutterhockey, yes. Flames fans will tell you this as well as complain that they are a one-line team.

What is so difficult about this?

 

[Statto]

I'm not 'content' with anything -- I'm just not on suicide watch every time the Kings lose a single game. If the best teams in the league were on pace for going 82-0, I could understand the outcry.

This has been a f***ing great season -- a few stinkers, yah -- but it amazes me how it seems to pain a lot of you to give these players (and coaching staff) a little f***ing credit for the position they are in.

I’ve given TMac plenty of credit but the unwillingness not to try something different the powerplay is perplexing. I can’t defend that. It makes very little sense not to properly try something else when the current powerplay is so poor. They have pretty much nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

You overlooked a critical point though - Sutter did not have the same variety of offensive weapons that McLellan had.

Who would you have put out over Sutter's powerplay units?

Wait what? Kopitar, Brown, Doughty, Carter, Richards, Williams, Gaborik, Voynov, Penner, Toffoli, Martinez, Muzzin

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

You are most definintely content with the powerplay being as dogshit it is. A 28th ranked powerplay, that has made no changes to tactics, the same stupid personnel choices over and over again won't help your chances of winning playoff games. I don't care that they "weren't even supposed to make the playoffs". It's irrelevant. And after the past 7 years of garbage hockey, they owe me more for making me watch all of that.

It's actually insulting to the team if you think about it because the suggestion is that with better special teams we wouldn't be in an even better spot in the standings, given special teams alone has literally lost us more than a handful of points this year.

Kings would be easily winning the division if any one of the following were even close to league average--shooting, goaltending, special teams.

 

[Herby]

There is nothing the Kings can do on the PP schematically that is going to change much as long as those 5 players are still the ones being sent out.

Danault and Iafallo are just not PP type players. There is one player on that unit that would be considered a plus shooter in the NHL and that is Kempe.

I think it was Ziggy who brought up in the GDT about the Kings playing the 6 on 4 like it was 5 on 5, and that was a good point. But Danault, Moore and Iafallo are just playing that way because that is there game (well it used to be for AI). Those guys get their goals by winning board battles and getting pucks to the net, not by scoring skilled PP type goals, good players but just out of place on an NHL PP.

I think we minimize the importance of the PP and just how many points it’s cost the Kings, add 10 more PP goals this year and the Kings have an average NHL PP, around 21%. Imagine with as many 1 goal games as we have played how important those 10 goals would be. How many OTL’s would be regulation wins, how many 1 goal regulation losses would instead go to OT where you are guaranteed one and essentially flipping a coin for 2.

The Kings inability to score the last 8 years is somewhat a 5 on 5 issue but mostly a PP issue and it’s a personnel issue more than a coaching one. It’s why I would have just taken Caufield and Kaliyev in 2019 and never thought twice. Get the two best arsenal of shots in the entire draft and address a current and historical problem for the team in one day. Ultimately Blake deserves the credit for winning the gamble and getting Arty in the 2nd, but it could also be looked at as them again not prioritizing that type of player enough.

This problem may also be addressed this summer with a JC trade. The Kings aren’t getting him for his defensive prowess, he would add another elite and lethal shot to the PP.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Coaching isn’t the issue on the PP. Even if Sturm isn’t coming up with answers, McLellan has a track record of PP success on the teams he’s head coached before LA. It’s possibly his most consistent accomplishment.

 

[kingsholygrail]

The Kings basically don't have the skill necessary to make a good PP.

 

[Bandit]

The Kings basically don't have the skill necessary to make a good PP.

No but they have have the skill to have a middle of the road powerplay easily. The coaches just won't put those guys on the ice unless they're held at gunpoint or every old dog is on IR.

 

[head eyes]

Coaching isn’t the issue on the PP. Even if Sturm isn’t coming up with answers, McLellan has a track record of PP success on the teams he’s head coached before LA. It’s possibly his most consistent accomplishment.

He's had success, but look at the players in his repertoire on the teams he coached.

Red Wings: Zetterburg, Datsyuk, Yzerman, Holmstrom, Shanahan, Lidstrom, Scheider, Draper, Chelios... to name a few.
Sharks: Marleau, Dan Boyle, Burns, Couture, Pavelski, Thornton, Vlasic, Heatley, Clowe
Oilers: McDavid, Draisaitl. That's enough to have a good PP.

With those players, I don't know how much of the credit he should get for that.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

I say offseason - deal Iafallo for anything and sign Forsberg.
No re-ups for Brown, Maatta, Edler, AA, under any circumstances.
Need bank for the game breaker and top line winger (Forsberg)
Can they afford him? Yes. More like, they cannot afford to not
get the best available player. Arvy helps sell it. They are good friends.

Sign / acquire the best possible top 4 LHD. Preferably with some size and snarl.

Send Byfield to Gary Roberts camp all Summer. Don't come back to LA until he's 228 lbs. He looks about 205 right now, No way he's 220.

Get Chromiak and Clarke on the Reign after their jr season. Have them train in LA all Summer.

 

[DoktorJeep]

He's had success, but look at the players in his repertoire on the teams he coached.

Red Wings: Zetterburg, Datsyuk, Yzerman, Holmstrom, Shanahan, Lidstrom, Scheider, Draper, Chelios... to name a few.
Sharks: Marleau, Dan Boyle, Burns, Couture, Pavelski, Thornton, Vlasic, Heatley, Clowe
Oilers: McDavid, Draisaitl. That's enough to have a good PP.

With those players, I don't know how much of the credit he should get for that.

I was mostly thinking that if he could manage a top power play with the talent he had, then the kings should be 20th on PP at worst. But it’s the worst thing they do.

It’s basically Kopitar and Doughty can’t lead a good to great PP. That’s a pile of BS for $21M year after year.

 

[Herby]

No but they have have the skill to have a middle of the road powerplay easily. The coaches just won't put those guys on the ice unless they're held at gunpoint or every old dog is on IR.

I actually don’t know if this is the case. It certainly isn’t the case if you are talking the 5 guys who have been on the PP as of last night. How many of Kopitar, Kempe, Danault, Iafallo and Durzi are playing on another teams #1 PP unit? Even bad teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Anaheim and San Jose have a few skilled players better suited for the PP than a lot of these guys.

 

[Sol]

The Kings basically don't have the skill necessary to make a good PP.

That’s a cop out. They have the skill to make a better powerplay but they ride pine and see no ice.

 

[Sol]

I say offseason - deal Iafallo for anything and sign Forsberg.
No re-ups for Brown, Maatta, Edler, AA, under any circumstances.
Need bank for the game breaker and top line winger (Forsberg)
Can they afford him? Yes. More like, they cannot afford to not
get the best available player. Arvy helps sell it. They are good friends.

Sign / acquire the best possible top 4 LHD. Preferably with some size and snarl.

Send Byfield to Gary Roberts camp all Summer. Don't come back to LA until he's 228 lbs. He looks about 205 right now, No way he's 220.

Get Chromiak and Clarke on the Reign after their jr season. Have them train in LA all Summer.

I get behind all this. I’d be cool with getting rid of maatta or edler under the stipulation they put iafallo and a pick the other way for a defenseman that’s younger and physical.

 

[DoktorJeep]

If everyone is healthy, who would be the best PP players?

My votes
Kaliyev Kempe Arvidsson
Kopitar Durzi

 

[Peter James Bond II]

The Kings basically don't have the skill necessary to make a good PP.

Thomas Holmstrom was not a high end skilled player...but he was havoc on the PP in front of the net.
Carl Grundstrom may not be at his level, but he is great in front of the net and can bury pucks.
He's very underrated. He's one that has size and strength to battle in front and screen the goalie.
No one is doing that now. Brown used to. It certainly would not be bad to try him on PP2 in front of the net
and see the results. He may never be top 6, but he has size, strength and can score - that is what the PP needs in front of the goal. He's great within 10 feet of scoring and does not get many chances on line 4, yet still is scoring several.

 

[kingsfan28]

Fair, but it's noticably worse lately, or since he's gone out. Whether that's the game intensity ramping up or Lemieux missing or both, people know they don't have to answer to anyone but Durzi.

Well we know it won't be Iafollo. The guy gets put into a headlock by McDavid, then his helmet is pulled off, and he just skates away looking for help from anyone. Man up and put that f-'er into the glass next game!